Cigarette with controllable mildness



July 2, 1968 A. B HUDNELL CIGARETTE WITH CONTROLLABLE MILDNESS 2 SheetFiled Aug. 9, 1965 INVENTOR ARMSTEAD B. HUDNELL ATTORNEY y 1968 A. B.HUDNELL 3,390,684

CIGARETTE WITH CONTROLLABLE MILDNESS Filed Aug. 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR ARMSTEAD B. HUDNELL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,390,684CIGARETTE WITH CONTROLLABLE MILDNESS Armstead B. Hudnell, 1800 S.Hawthorne Road, Winston-Salem, N.C. 27103 Filed Aug. 9, 1965, Ser. No.478,035 4 Claims. (Cl. 131-9) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cigarette hasa controllable aperture permitting a regulated amount of air to be mixedwith the smoke drawn into the smokers mouth.

This invention relates to cigarettes and more particularly to cigaretteswherein means are provided for enabling the smoker to selectivelycontrol the strength or mildness of the cigarette.

It has long been known that the strength and temperature of cigarettesmoke entering the smokers mouth can be controlled by providingapertures or vents in the wrapper of the cigarette. See, for example,United States patents, No. 2,314,147 to Langdon, No. 3,043,314 toBartolomeo and No. 2,936,763 to Safiir.

As is the case in most of the patented art in this general field, thefirst two patents teach the use of permanent openings in the wrapper ofthe cigarette by means of which communication is established between theatmosphere and the interior of the cigarette so that atmospheric air isdrawn into the smokers mouth with each puff of the cigarette. In thelast mentioned patent, removable tabs or covers are provided foropenings made in the cigarette wrapper whereby the smoker mayselectively remove the tabs or covers to admit air into the smoke-streamof the cigarette at any desired point during smoking. As explained inthe patent the intake of air directly from the atmosphere may not bedesirable when the cigarette is first lighted because the tobacco in thecigarette acts as a filter for the first few puffs. The amount oftobacco remaining for filtration during continued smoking constantlydiminishes and with each continued puif the smoke becomes stronger andmore concentrated. At any desired point, the smoker may remove Safiirstab or covering to admit fresh atmospheric air into the smoke-stream anddilute the smoke accordingly. According to one embodiment of Safiir, apermanent opening is thereby created and the smoker is without any meansto later close the opening, if desired. In a modified form, Saffirdiscloses in broad terms a valve arrangement whereby the smoker maymanipulate a paper band to adjust the size of the air intake opening asdesired during smoking.

The concept of enabling the smoker to control the amount of air drawninto the smoke-stream during smoking is desirable in that it increasesthe enjoyment of smoking by permitting the smoker to control thestrength of the tobacco and the temperature of the smoke. The benefitsof air intake during smoking have long been known but it has not beenpreviously known to provide a simple and efiicient means of enabling thesmoker to control the air intake at any desired point during smoking.

This invention also includes means for increasing the efliciency offilters on cigarettes provided with vents establishing communicationbetween the interior of the smokers mouth and the atmosphere.

Some of the objects of the invention having been 3,390,684 Patented July2, 1968 "ice stated, other objects will appear when taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is an enlarged plan view of one embodiment of the invention inassociation with a non-filter cigarette;

FIGURE 1A is an enlarged perspective view of a slightly modified form ofthe invention in association with a filter cigarette;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 22 in FIGURE 1A with parts broken away;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged end elevation looking at the left-hand end ofthe cigarette in FIGURE 1A and showing the condition of the filter aftersmoking;

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing how the vent or aperture may beselectively closed by the smokers finger during smoking;

FIGURE 5 is an enlarged perspective view similar to FIGURE 1A butshowing a third embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged side elevation of an alternate construction ofthe embodiment shown in FIG- URE 5;

FIGURE 7 is an enlarged end view looking at the lefthand end of thecigarette in FIGURE 5 and showing the condition of the filter aftersmoking;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 5 but showing a fifth embodiment ofthe invention;

FIGURE 9 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view taken substantiallyalong the line 9-9 in FIGURE 8 with parts broken away.

Referring more specificaly to the drawings, the numeral 10 broadlyindicates a cigarette comprising a core of compressed tobacco shown at11 and a first relatively thin paper wrapper 12 extending from the end15 of the cigarette intended to be lighted in snug encircling relationto the core of tobacco 11. A second wrapper 13 of relatively rigidmaterial such as cork, simulated cork, or paper also snugly encirclesthe tobacco core 11 and, in the embodiment shown in FIGURES 1A through 7the wrapper 13 extends about a filter element 14 and partially overlapsthe relatively thin wrapper 12 which extends the length of the tobaccoCore 11. The relatively rigid wrapper 13 in FIGURES 1A through 7terminates slightly past the juncture of the filter element 14 with thetobacco core 11 as is conventional practice in making filter cigarettes.

The thickness of the wrappers is exaggerated throughout the drawings forpurposes of illustration, and in actual practice the wrapper 13,although much stiffer than the wrapper 12, does not protrudeobjectionably beyond the plane of the wrapper 12.

In FIGURE 1, the relatively rigid or stiif wrapper 13 comprises a bandabout the width of a persons finger which snugly encircles the wrapper12 and the tobacco core 11 in spaced relation to the ends 15 and 16 ofthe cigarette 12, the end 16 being adapted to be placed in the smokersmouth. The wrapper 13 when in the form of a band as shown in FIGURE 1 isparticularly adapted for use with a non-filter cigarette as illustratedin FIG- URE 1.

In the embodiments shown in FIGURES 1 through 4, an air channel or vent20 extends radially through the overlapped wrappers 12 and 13 at a pointspaced a sufficient distance from the end 16 to permit the smoker toselectively close the aperture 20 during smoking of the cigarette andwhile the end 16 is in the smokers mouth. As an example, the air channelor vent 20 may be in the form of an aperture located one-third of thedistance from the end 16 to the end 15 of the cigarette which is to belighted. This spacing will vary, of course, depending upon the overalllength of the cigarette and/ or cigarette and filter with which theinvention is associated. The important element of the invention,however, is to locate the aperture 20 in the relatively nonfrangiblewrapper 13 and at a suificient distance from the end 16 of the cigaretteto permit the aperture to be selectively closed by the smokers fingerwhile the end 16 is in the smokers mouth during smoking of thecigarette.

The relatively rigid and non-frangible Wrapper 13 enables its vent oraperture 20 to retain its integrity despite repeated contacts with thesmokers finger during smoking of the cigarette. By putting the vent inthe stronger wrapper 13, the danger of rupturing the paper andundesirably increasing the size of the vent to a point where it cant beconveniently covered by a finger is minimized.

When used with a filter cigarette the vent or aperture 20 is locatedclosely adjacent the inner edge of the wrapper 13 so that it providescommunication between the atmosphere and the tobacco 11 (FIGURE 2). InFIGURE 1, the tobacco 11 extends the entire length of the cigarette sothat aperture 20 in the band 13 necessarily provides communicationbetween the atmosphere and the tobacco.

The vent 20 is adapted to be closed by the smokers finger in the mannershown in FIGURE 4 to close the interior of the cigarette fromcommunication with the atmosphere and permit the end 16 to be placed inthe smokers mouth during smoking of the cigarette.

Referring to FIGURES 5 and 7, a modified form of the invention is shownwherein communication is established between the atmosphere and theinterior of the smokers mouth by an air tube 30 having an opening 31 atthe end 16 of the cigarette and a second opening 32 at the inner edge ofthe relatively rigid or stronger wrapper 13.

In all illustrated embodiments of the invention like parts bear likereference characters and a further description is deemed unnecessary inview of the simplicity of the subject matter.

The air tube 30 is preferably sandwiched between the relatively strongwrapper 13 and the more frangible wrapper 12 as most clearly seen inFIGURE 7. In crosssection the air tube 30 is preferably flattened sothat it is of greater dimension transversely than vertically in order tominimize the protuberance of the air tube beyond the periphery of theend 16 of cigarette 10.

In order to further minimize the protuberance of the air tube 30 beyondthe periphery of the cigarette at the end 16, the longitudinal axis ofair tube 30 may be inclined relative to the axis of the cigarette tolocate the opening 32 outwardly beyond the periphery of the wrapper 12with the end portion of the air tube 30 adjacent its opening 31 recessedWithin the filter element 14 and within the periphery of the cigarette(FIGURE 6). The air tube 30 is referably made of compressible materialso that communication between the smokers mouth and the atmosphere maybe closed under pressure of the smokers finger against the tube 30. Inthe embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 5 and 7 the smoker mayalternatively close the collapsible tube 30 under pressure of his lipsor teeth, if desired.

A further embodiment is illustrated in FIGURES 8 and 9 which includes anair tube 40 having an opening 41 at the end 16 of the cigarette 10. Theair tube 40 extends from its opening 41 axially of the cigarette andbeneath the periphery of the cigarette to a point adjacent the inner endof the wrapper 13 where the tube 40 is bent at right angles and extendsradially through the wrapper 13 to define a radially opening vent 43.

In this latter form of the invention, the air tube is preferably notreadily compressible and communication between the smokers mouth and theatmosphere is intended to be closed by the smoker placing his fingerover the opening 43. As in the other forms of the invention the opening43 is located a sufficient distance from the end 16 to permit the smokerselectively closing the opening 43 while smoking the cigarette with theend 16 in his mouth.

Referring to FIGURE 3, it will be observed that the lower portion of thefilter element 14 has been indicated by black dots while the upperportion of the filter element 14 has been indicated by white dots 51.The black dots 50 represent stains caused by nicotine, tars and otheragents carried by the tobacco smoke which are conventionally depositedin the filters of cigarettes. The white dots 51 represent the por.ion ofthe filter which is not stained by tars and other agents in tobaccosmoke, this unstained portion being adjacent vent 20 and through whichatmospheric air is drawn. One effect of drawing atmospheric air throughthe vent 20 is to force the tars, nicotine and other agents in thetobacco smoke into only a restricted portion of the filter element 14 asrepresented by the black dots 50. Increased filtration is possiblethrough the use of air tubes communicating directly with the smokersmouth instead of with the tobacco core such as shown in the embodimentsillustrated in FIGURES 5 through 9. For example, as shown in FIGURE 7the entire filter area is stained as represented by the black dots 50whereas only a portion of the filter element 14 is so stained in theembodiment of FIGURES 1 through 4 as indicated at 50 in FIGURE 3.

While the form of invention illustrated in FIGURES 1 through 4diminishes the area of the filter available for filtration of the smoke,it has been demonstrated that the benefits of admitting atmospheric airinto the smokestream overcome any diminished filtration which mightresult from this practice.

There is thus provided an improved control means for admittingatmospheric air in the smokers mouth during smoking of a cigarette andfor selectively controlling the admission of atmospheric air duringsmoking.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth preferredembodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed,they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not forpurposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in theclaims.

I claim:

1. In a cigarette having a first end to be lighted and a second end tobe put in the smokers mouth, a first relatively thin wrapper extendingaxially along the cigarette from its first end toward the second end anda second relatively heavy wrapper extending axially along the cigarettefrom its second end toward the first end and at least partiallyoverlying the first wrapper at a point between the ends of thecigarette, the combination of an air channel extending axially of thecigarette beneath the second wrapper, the axis of said channel beinginclined with respect to the axis of the cigarette, said air channelhaving a first end opening toward the first end of the cigarette andcommunicating with the atmosphere, said air channel having a second endrecessed beneath the normal periphery of the cigarette and adjacent thesecond end of the cigarette and positioned to provide communicationbetween the interior of the smokers mouth and the atmosphere when thesecond end of the cigarette is placed in the smokers mouth.

2. A structure according to claim 1 wherein said air channel iscompressible under pressure of the smokers finger and is suificient-lyelastic to return to its normal open position in the absence of pressureduring smoking.

3. A structure according to claim 1 wherein the open- 5 6 ing in thefirst end of the air channel is in axial align- 2,936,763 5/ 1960 Saffir1319 X ment with the air channel. 3,240,213 3/ 1966 Miller 1319 4. Astructure according to claim 1 wherein the trans- 3,279,475 10/ 1966Brenner et a1 131--10.3 verse dimension of the air channel is greaierthan its 3,283,762 11/1966 Kissel 13110.3 vertical dimension. 53,324,862 6/ 1967 De Simone 131-9 X FOREIGN PATENTS References Cited 16695 1912 G t B L rea ruam. UNITED STATES PATENTS 917,211 1/1963 GreatBritain.

1,718,122 6/1929 De Shon 131-9 10 2,269,995 1/ 1942 Trane 131-9 LUCIE H,LAUDENSLAGER, Primary Examiner.

